U.S. patent application number 09/728556 was filed with the patent office on 2001-08-09 for method, system and user interface for inputting and manipulating tokenised strings.
This patent application is currently assigned to Sun Microsystems, Inc.. Invention is credited to Breuer, Matthias.
Application Number | 20010012007 09/728556 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 8239604 |
Filed Date | 2001-08-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010012007 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Breuer, Matthias |
August 9, 2001 |
Method, system and user interface for inputting and manipulating
tokenised strings
Abstract
A computer-based method of interactively generating an index
page displays a window including a list of index page types. Upon
selection of one index page type in the list of index page types, a
window including a list of index line types is displayed. Upon
selection of one index line type in the list of index line types, a
token string including a plurality of tokens is displayed. The
plurality of tokens includes only tokens appropriate for the one
index line. Upon selection of one token, or alternatively a window
for entering content associated with the one token, user selectable
attributes for the content associated with the at least one token
are displayed.
Inventors: |
Breuer, Matthias; (Seevetal,
DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Forrest Gunnison
Gunnison, McKay & Hodgson, L.L.P.
1900 Garden Road, Suite 220
Monterey
CA
93940
US
|
Assignee: |
Sun Microsystems, Inc.
|
Family ID: |
8239604 |
Appl. No.: |
09/728556 |
Filed: |
November 30, 2000 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
715/781 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 40/169 20200101;
G06F 40/221 20200101; Y10S 707/99933 20130101; G06F 40/103
20200101 |
Class at
Publication: |
345/340 ;
345/352; 345/356 |
International
Class: |
G06F 003/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 14, 1999 |
EP |
99124949.1 |
Claims
I claim:
1. A computer-based method of interactively generating an index
page comprising: displaying a window including a list of index page
types; displaying a window including a list of index line types
upon selection of one index page type in said list of index page
types; displaying a token string including a plurality of tokens,
upon selection of one index line type in said list of index line
types, wherein said plurality of tokens includes only tokens
appropriate for said one index line type; and displaying, for at
least one token in said plurality of tokens, user selectable
attributes for data associated with said at least one token.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein index line types in said list of
index line types represent different levels in a hierarchical order
within the index page.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the list of index page types
includes a table of contents.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of index page types
includes a table of contents.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of index page types
includes a bibliographic index.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein index line types in said list of
index line types represent different sources of bibliographic
information.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one token is a
tabulator token and said user selectable attributes include
tabulator positions.
8. A computer-based graphic user interface comprising: an insert
index page dialogue window comprising: an index page type window
wherein said index page type window includes a list of index page
types; and said index page type window displays at least one index
page type in said list of index page types; an index page title
window coupled to said index page type wherein said index page
title window displays a title for said at least one index page
type; an index line type window coupled to said index page type
window wherein said index line type window includes a list of index
line types for said at least one index page type; and a token
string coupled to said index line type window wherein said token
string includes a plurality of tokens and further wherein each
token comprises an element in an index line type selected in said
index line type window.
9. The graphic user interface of claim 8, wherein index line types
in said list of index line types represent different levels in a
hierarchical order within the index page.
10. The graphic user interface of claim 9, wherein the list of
index page types includes a table of contents.
11. The graphic user interface of claim 8, wherein the list of
index page types includes a table of contents.
12. The graphic user interface of claim 8, wherein the list of
index page types includes a bibliographic index.
13. The graphic user interface of claim 12, wherein index line
types in said list of index line types represent different sources
of bibliographic information.
14. The graphic user interface of claim 8, wherein the at least one
token is a tabulator token and said user selectable attributes
include tabulator positions.
15. A computer program product for interactively generating an
index page dialogue window, the computer program product comprising
program code adapted for: displaying a window including a list of
index page types; displaying a window including a list of index
line types upon selection of one index page type in said list of
index page types; displaying a token string including a plurality
of tokens, upon selection of one index line type in said list of
index line types, wherein said plurality of tokens includes only
tokens appropriate for said one index line type; and displaying,
for at least one token in said plurality of tokens, user selectable
attributes for data associated with said at least one token.
16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein index line
types in said list of index line types represent different levels
in a hierarchical order within the index page.
17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the list of
index page types includes a table of contents.
18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the list of
index page types includes a table of contents.
19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the list of
index page types includes a bibliographic index.
20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein index line
types in said list of index line types represent different sources
of bibliographic information.
21. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the at least
one token is a tabulator token and said user selectable attributes
include tabulator positions.
22. A system comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to said
processor, and having stored therein computer instructions for a
method of interactively generating an index page wherein upon
execution of said computer instructions on said processor, said
method comprises: displaying a window including a list of index
page types; displaying a window including a list of index line
types upon selection of one index page type in said list of index
page types; displaying a token string including a plurality of
tokens, upon selection of one index line type in said list of index
line types, wherein said plurality of tokens includes only tokens
appropriate for said one index line type; and displaying, for at
least one token in said plurality of tokens, user selectable
attributes for data associated with said at least one token.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates generally to computer
generated documents and in particular to computer generated index
documents.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] For many documents created on a computer, like text
documents, HTML documents, presentations and others, related index
pages are useful in finding desired content within the document, or
are useful in getting information about bibliographic sources or
the like. Index documents include documents that in turn include
any or all of a table of contents, a headword index, figure or
table index as well as a bibliographic index, for example, which
are referred to herein as an index page.
[0005] Creating an index page involves a lot of formatting work,
and is therefore time consuming and costly. An index page typically
has a plurality of index lines having a specific content and
format. In an index page that is a table of contents of a book, for
example, there exist index lines for different hierarchical levels
of headings, i.e., main heading, sub-heading etc.
[0006] FIG. 1 shows an example of an index page 100 that is a table
of contents of a textbook. Index page 100 has a plurality of index
lines, which have different functions and are formatted
differently.
[0007] The first index line is the title "Contents" followed by the
index line "Summary" with page number 5. Next are three index lines
representing hierarchies of headings. A table of contents like that
shown in FIG. 1 is an example of an index page, where the index
lines represent a different level in a hierarchical order within
the index page.
[0008] Another example is a bibliographic index, which can contain
a plurality of different types of information sources like books,
journals, theses, e-mails, www-pages and so on. Different types of
index lines, in this example, do not represent different
hierarchical levels, but do represent different types of
information sources.
[0009] It is known to define the content and format of an index
line using a string of instruction symbols (tokens) and attributes
associated with the tokens. In the following an example of a token
string with corresponding attributes (in parenthesis) is provided
for an index line of a table of contents, such as that in FIG.
1:
[0010] chapter number CH (character style); entry text ET (style
template); tabulator TAB (type, filling character, position); page
number PN (character style).
[0011] Typically, "chapter number" is represented by a numerical
value, e.g., 1, 1.1, 1.3.5. "Entry text" is the chapter title and
has a style defined by the style template. The tabulator filling
character, e.g., a blank character or a dot, fills the space from
the entry text to the page number. The tabulator has two other
attributes, i.e., the tabulator type (centred, left, right) and a
position measured in mm, inches or any other suitable metric. In
most cases, the page number is positioned at the right side of the
index line.
[0012] It is known to either input the token string directly by
typing the instruction symbols and attribute values, or by using a
user interactive menu dialog. These two methods are complicated and
time consuming for the user. Furthermore, the problem arises that
the syntax of tokens and attributes may be input incorrectly.
[0013] Arranging the tokens to define an order is particularly
difficult to handle because tokens could be entered inside another
token. Therefore, the computer program has to check the syntax of
the input token string every time, and if the syntax is wrong, the
token string has to be corrected by the user. Besides index pages
other instruction sets, for example defining a modem interface, may
have to be input into a computer with correct syntax.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0014] According to the present invention, a method of
interactively generating a computer readable instruction set having
instruction symbols and related variables comprises:
[0015] a) generating a signal for displaying a list of selectable
instruction symbols,
[0016] b) arranging a selected instruction symbol to form part of
the instruction set,
[0017] c) generating a signal for displaying a list of selectable
variable values, if at least one variable relates to the selected
instruction symbol,
[0018] d) arranging a selected variable value to form part of the
instruction set, and
[0019] e) repeating steps a) to d) until the instruction set is
completed.
[0020] The instruction set may preferably define a formatted index
document or database relating to another arbitrary document
type.
[0021] In another embodiment, a computer-based method of
interactively generating an index page displays a window including
a list of index page types. Upon selection of one index page type
in the list of index page types, a window including a list of index
line types is displayed.
[0022] Upon selection of one index line type in the list of index
line types, a token string including a plurality of tokens is
displayed. The plurality of tokens includes only tokens appropriate
for the one index line. Upon selection of one token, or
alternatively a window for entering content associated with the one
token, user selectable attributes for the content associated with
the at least one token are displayed.
[0023] In one embodiment, index line types in the list of index
line types represent different levels in a hierarchical order
within the index page, and the list of index page types includes a
table of contents. The list of index page types also includes a
bibliographic index, and upon selection of the bibliographic index,
the index line types in the list of index line types represent
different sources of bibliographic information.
[0024] In one embodiment, the method of this invention is
implemented using a computer-based graphic user interface
comprising:
[0025] an insert index page dialogue window comprising:
[0026] an index page type window wherein the index page type window
includes a list of index page types; and the index page type window
displays at least one index page type in the list of index page
types;
[0027] an index page title window coupled to the index page type
wherein the index page title window displays a title for the at
least one index page type;
[0028] an index line type window coupled to the index page type
window wherein the index line type window includes a list of index
line types for the at least one index page type;
[0029] and
[0030] a token string coupled to the index line type window wherein
the token string includes a plurality of tokens and further wherein
each token comprises an element in an index line type selected in
the index line type window.
[0031] The method of this invention is also contained a computer
program product for interactively generating an index page dialogue
window. The computer program product includes program code adapted
for:
[0032] displaying a window including a list of index page
types;
[0033] displaying a window including a list of index line types
upon selection of one index page type in the list of index page
types;
[0034] displaying a token string including a plurality of tokens,
upon selection of one index line type in the list of index line
types, wherein the plurality of tokens includes only tokens
appropriate for the one index line type; and
[0035] displaying, for at least one token in the plurality of
tokens, user selectable attributes for data associated with the at
least one token.
[0036] A system, according to this invention includes a processor
and a memory coupled to the processor. Stored in the memory are
computer instructions for a method of interactively generating an
index page. Upon execution of the computer instructions on the
processor, the method comprises:
[0037] displaying a window including a list of index page
types;
[0038] displaying a window including a list of index line types
upon selection of one index page type in the list of index page
types;
[0039] displaying a token string including a plurality of tokens,
upon selection of one index line type in the list of index line
types, wherein the plurality of tokens includes only tokens
appropriate for the one index line type; and
[0040] displaying, for at least one token in the plurality of
tokens, user selectable attributes for data associated with the at
least one token.
[0041] In more general terms, one embodiment of the invention
includes a user interface for inputting and manipulating tokenised
strings such as those found on an index page. Furthermore, with
this user interface, syntax errors in such strings can effectively
be avoided.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0042] FIG. 1 is an illustrative example of a prior art index
page.
[0043] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a computer system that includes
the method of this invention.
[0044] FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration showing an exemplary
dialog window displayed on a display screen according to an
embodiment of the present invention.
[0045] FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a dialog window
displayed on a display screen according to another embodiment of
the present invention.
[0046] FIG. 5 is a flow chart schematically illustrating an
embodiment of the present invention.
[0047] In the drawings and in the following detailed description,
elements with the same reference numeral are the same element.
Also, the first digit of a reference numeral represents the number
of the figure in which that element first appeared.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0048] A method 230 (FIGS. 2 and 5), according to the present
invention, allows a user to easily and conveniently generate each
index line on an index page using a single user interface 295 that
is displayed on monitor 216 of a computer system 200. Not only does
each index line generated using interface 295 have a correct
syntax, but also, the user is not required to use multiple
different interfaces, e.g., a first interface to generate the index
line and a second interface to edit portions of the index line.
[0049] Herein, an index page comprises a plurality of index lines,
which have different functions and are formatted differently. An
index page may include one or more physical pages of a
document.
[0050] Although, the phrase "index line" is used here, an index
line is not limited to a single line on the index page. In the
sense of the present embodiment, an index line can actually
comprise two or more physical lines of text that form a
paragraph.
[0051] Formatting using graphic user interface 295, however, is
carried out for every index line. An index line is therefore to be
understood as a formatting unit. In most cases, like the example
shown in FIG. 1, however, every index line is actually one text
line.
[0052] As explained more completely below, user interface 295 of
this invention includes all controls necessary for a user to easily
generate each index line in an index page. Moreover, for each index
line, the user is presented with a framework that is correct with
respect to the hierarchical location of the index line within the
index page, or with respect to the type of index line within the
index page. In particular, upon selection of a particular type of
index line, the user is presented only with tokens and data entry
fields that are appropriate for the chosen type of index line.
[0053] No longer does the user have to worry about improper nesting
of tokens used in formatting the various elements in an index line.
In fact, unlike the prior art described above, no prior knowledge
of the tokens or of attributes of the tokens is required, because
the correct tokens, preferably in the correct locations, are
presented in interface 295 for each element in the index line level
selected by this user. In addition, if there are style or other
attributes associated with a particular token, the user accesses
these attributes from interface 295 and makes the desired
selections. The user is unconcerned with encoding the order or
format used to specify the attributes of a particular token.
[0054] FIG. 3 is a more detailed diagram of one embodiment of
graphic user interface 295. As discussed more completely below,
graphic user interface 295 includes an index page dialogue window
that in this embodiment includes a plurality of windows that are
used to select and generate each index line in the index page.
Various buttons are used to expand some of the windows in interface
295. In another embodiment, index page dialogue window 295 includes
a plurality of overlain cards that each has a tab. When the user
selects a particular tab, that card is moved to the front of window
295. The particular technique used to implement the features of
interface 295 of this invention are not essential to the invention,
and will vary depending upon the characteristics of the computer
system in which the invention is used, and the methods used to
implement the invention in that computer system.
[0055] In one embodiment, to generate index page dialogue window
295, the user first accesses an Insert icon in a tool bar of an
application in which the user wants to create the index page. Upon
accessing the Insert icon, the user is presented with a menu that
includes an entry "Indexes." Upon selection of entry "Indexes," the
user is presented with yet another menu that includes "Indexes,"
that the user in turn selects. In response to this last selection,
the user is presented with one embodiment of graphic user interface
295, as illustrated in FIG. 3.
[0056] In this embodiment of graphic user interface 295, the user
can select a type of the index page of interest to the user using
index page type window 301. In this embodiment, the index page type
choices include:
[0057] Table of Contents
[0058] Alphabetic Index
[0059] Illustration Index
[0060] Index of Tables
[0061] User-Defined
[0062] Table of Objects
[0063] Bibliography.
[0064] The user selects a particular type of index page by clicking
on button 308 and then selecting one type of index page from a list
of index page types. Upon selection of the particular type of index
page from this list, e.g., "Table of Contents" in FIG. 3, a default
title for that index page is entered in index page title window
302. However, the user can replace the default title, by selecting
title window 302 and inputting a new title. FIG. 4 is another
embodiment of graphic user interface 295B in which the user
selected an index page type of "Bibliography" in index page type
window 301, and so the default title in title window 302 is
"Bibliography".
[0065] Hence, in method 230 of this invention, display list of
index page types operation 501 (FIG. 5) presents a list of index
page types to the user upon activating button 308 in index page
type window 301 of graphic user interface 295. From the list
displayed in operation 501, a user selects one index page type from
the list, e.g., "Table of Contents" in FIG. 3, and "Bibliography"
in FIG. 4, in select index page type operation 502.
[0066] Upon the user selecting a particular index page type from
the list in operation 502, graphic user interface 295 presents a
list of index line types appropriate for the index page type
selected in an index line type window. In FIG. 3, a list of
hierarchical levels for the "Table of Contents" are presented in
index line type window 306A that is labelled "Level" in this
embodiment. In FIG. 4, a list of types of documents that typically
are used in a bibliography are presented in index line type window
306B that is labelled "Doc. Type." The types of index lines
illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 are illustrative only and are not
intended to limit the invention to the specific types displayed. In
view of this disclosure, one of skill in the art can implement
index line types that are appropriate for each type of index
page.
[0067] In select index line type operation 504, the user can select
any desired index line type from those displayed in the index line
type window, e.g., windows 306A (FIG. 3) and 306B (FIG. 4). In the
example of FIG. 3, the user selects level "1" for index line type
to be added to the Table of Contents in operation 504. In the
example of FIG. 4, the user selects "Book" in operation 504 for the
type of index line to add to the Bibliography.
[0068] Upon selection of a particular type of index line, display
token string operation 505 displays, in user interface 295, a token
string, e.g., token string 303A in FIG. 3 and token string 303B in
FIG. 4, for the selected index line type. Specifically, in the
example of the table of contents as shown in FIG. 3, four tokens CH
(chapter) 310A, ET (entry text) 312A, TAB (tabulator) 314A and PN
(page number) 316A are displayed. Associated with each of tokens
310A, 312A, 314A and 316A is a display field window 311A, 313A,
315A and 317A, respectively.
[0069] The tokens in an index line are instruction symbols for
defining elements of the index line. Accordingly, the particular
tokens and associated display field windows may be different for
each index line of the index page. However, in a given index line
type, the string of tokens includes only tokens that are
appropriate for elements in that type of index line type, e.g.,
tokens that represent each element in that type of index line
type.
[0070] By clicking on the respective display field window on the
screen the user can then enter the corresponding content, e.g.,
"1.1.2" in window 311A for chapter token 310A, or "fluids" in
window 313A for title token 313A, in insert content operation 506.
In one embodiment, not only is the content displayed in the window
for the token, but also the entire index line is displayed in index
page display window 325.
[0071] Typically, each token has a default style for the
information entered in the display field window for that token.
However, in addition, upon selecting a token, display selectable
attributes operation 507 displays attributes that the user can
define or modify for the selected token.
[0072] For example, in one embodiment, for token ET (FIG. 3), the
user could select, in select attributes operation 508, either
template 1 or template 2 to define the attributes of the text
entered. In another embodiment, the user can use style window 304A
to select a paragraph style associated with the index line
represented by token string 303A in select attributes operation
508. If the user selected token TAB, the user can utilize tab
window 305A to select the tab stop position and the fill character
inserted between the title and the page number in select attributes
operation 508. Hence, in this embodiment, the attributes may
include style templates, character styles selected in character
style window 307A or 307B, or tabulator positions.
[0073] When a user selects either a particular token or a display
field window for that token, only the attributes associated with
the specific selection are enabled in window 295. Hence, for each
token in an index line, only attributes that can be selected for
that token are enabled in window 295 when that token is selected.
Therefore, the user can easily select appropriate attributes for
the element in the index line associated with the token.
[0074] The selection of attributes is further restricted to only
valid values so that inputting of a token string having an
incorrect instruction syntax is not possible. Similarly, the fields
for inserting characters are only enabled if a character at the
respective position is allowed.
[0075] Upon entering data for the selected token in operation 506
and selecting any attributes for the selected token in operation
508, all tokens check operation 509 determines whether the user has
processed all the tokens in token string 303A. If all tokens have
been processed, check operation 509 transfers to last index line
check operation 510 and otherwise returns to select token and
insert content operation 506. If the user has completed the index
page, check operation 510 transfers to end and otherwise to select
index line type operation 504.
[0076] While check operations 509 and 510 are presented as
sequential operations in FIG. 5, this is illustrative only and is
not intended to limit the invention to this particular sequence of
operations. As is known to those of skill in the art, an event
handler is associated with a graphic user interface, and when an
event occurs, the event handler determines what instruction the
user has input, and branches to the appropriate action for that
instruction.
[0077] Returning to FIG. 4, where index line type book was chosen,
token string 303B include tokens TIT (title) 310B, AUT (author)
312B, YEA (year) 314B and ED (editor) 316B that are displayed in
operation 505 upon selection of index line type book in operation
504. The user can now input title, author, year of publication,
editor etc in operations 506 to 508. Displayed tokens 310B, 312B,
314B, and 316B are adapted to the chosen document type so that all
necessary information can be input. In the case of a web page, for
example, it is possible to insert tokens for a hyperlink to the
referenced www-page. Also, notice that since token string 303B does
not include a tabulator token, tabulator window 305B is greyed-out
to indicate that this attribute is unavailable.
[0078] The index page may be assigned to a document presently
opened in the computer or a defined portion thereof as, for
example, a chapter or paragraph. The invention, however, is not
restricted to the generation of index pages. Other types of
instruction sets may also be created by the present invention. An
example of such an instruction set is an instruction string
containing AT-commands for a modem interface.
[0079] The interactive editing of the instruction set speeds up the
generation or editing of the instruction set. In the case of a
bibliographic index, for example, the user may enter a short name
for a field like the author. If a corresponding entry does not
exist in the bibliographic index, the user can then click on a
button to create a new entry for the bibliography. The interactive
entry of instruction symbols and variables furthermore can avoid
the entry of instruction language that is not permitted. As a user
builds or edits an index page, in one embodiment, the index page is
displayed in index page display window 325.
[0080] In one embodiment, graphic user interface 295 is implemented
using a hardware configuration like a personal computer or
workstation as illustrated schematically in FIG. 2 by computer
system 200. However, in another embodiment, graphic user interface
295 is implemented using a client-server configuration 250 that
also is illustrated in FIG. 2. Graphic user interface 295 may be
displayed on a display screen of client device 200 while some or
all operations of method 230 are carried out on a server computer
280 accessible by the client device 200 over a data network 203 and
204, such as the Internet, using a browser application or the
like.
[0081] Herein, a computer program product comprises a medium
configured to store or transport computer readable code for method
230 or in which computer readable code for method 230 is stored.
Some examples of computer program products are CD-ROM discs, ROM
cards, floppy discs, magnetic tapes, computer hard drives, servers
on a network and signals transmitted over a network representing
computer readable program code.
[0082] As illustrated in FIG. 2, this storage medium may belong to
computer system 200 itself. However, the storage medium also may be
removed from computer system 200. For example, method 230 may be
stored in memory 284 that is physically located in a location
different from processor 201. The only requirement is that
processor 201 is coupled to the memory containing method 230. This
could be accomplished in a client-server system 250, e.g., system
200 is the client and system 280 is the server, or alternatively
via a connection to another computer via modems and analog lines,
or digital interfaces and a digital carrier line.
[0083] For example, memory 284 could be in a World Wide Web portal,
while display unit 216 and processor 201 are in a personal digital
assistant (PDA), or a wireless telephone, for example. Conversely,
the display unit and at least one of the input devices could be in
a client computer, a wireless telephone, or a PDA, while the memory
and processor are part of a server computer on a wide area network,
a local area network, or the Internet.
[0084] More specifically, computer system 200, in one embodiment,
can be a portable computer, a workstation, a two-way pager, a
cellular telephone, a digital wireless telephone, a personal
digital assistant, a server computer, an Internet appliance, or any
other device that includes the components shown and that can
execute method 230. Similarly, in another embodiment, computer
system 200 can be comprised of multiple different computers,
wireless devices, cellular telephones, digital telephones, two-way
pagers, or personal digital assistants, server computers, or any
desired combination of these devices that are interconnected to
perform method 230 as described herein.
[0085] Herein, a computer memory refers to a volatile memory, a
non-volatile memory, or a combination of the two in any one of
these devices. Similarly, a computer input unit and a display unit
refer to the features providing the required functionality to input
the information described herein, and to display the information
described herein, respectively, in any one of the aforementioned or
equivalent devices.
[0086] In view of this disclosure, method 230 can be implemented in
a wide variety of computer system configurations. In addition,
method 230 could be stored as different modules in memories of
different devices. For example, method 230 could initially be
stored in a server computer 280, and then as necessary, a module of
method 230 could be transferred to a client device 200 and executed
on client device 200. Consequently, part of method 230 would be
executed on the server processor 282, and another part of method
230 would be executed on processor 201 of client device 200. In
view of this disclosure, those of skill in the art can implement
the invention of a wide variety of physical hardware configurations
using an operating system and computer programming language of
interest to the user. For example, FIG. 2 shows input devices 215
and 218, but other input devices, such as speech recognition
software and/or hardware could be used to input the selections and
data for method 230.
[0087] In yet another embodiment, method 230 is stored in memory
284 of system 280. Stored method 230 is transferred, over network
204 to memory 211 in system 200. In this embodiment, network
interface 283 and I/O interface 202 would include analog modems,
digital modems, or a network interface card. If modems are used,
network 204 includes a communications network, and method 230 is
downloaded via the communications network.
[0088] Method 230 of the present invention may be implemented in a
computer program including comprehensive office application
STAROFFICE that is available from Sun Microsystems, Inc. of Palo
Alto, Calif. (STAROFFICE is a trademark of Sun Microsystems.) Such
a computer program may be stored on any common data carrier like,
for example, a floppy disk or a compact disc (CD), as well as on
any common computer system's storage facilities like hard disks.
Therefore, another embodiment of the present invention also relates
to a data carrier for storing a computer program for carrying out
the inventive method. Yet another embodiment of the present
invention also relates to a method for using a computer system for
carrying out the presented inventive method. Still another
embodiment of the present invention further relates to a computer
system with a storage medium on which a computer program for
carrying out the presented inventive method is stored.
[0089] While the invention has been particularly shown with
reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood
by those skilled in the art that various other changes in the form
and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit
and scope of the invention.
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